Thornova Solar Receives PVEL Top Performer Award
Wuxi, June 5, 2024 – Sunova/Thornova is proud to announce that the TS-BG72 (550) bifacial PERC module, equivalent to the Zosma M Pro 550, has achieved top scores in five accelerated stress tests conducted by Kiwa PVEL as part of its Product Qualification Program (PQP). The accelerated tests included thermal cycling, damp heat, mechanical stress sequences and light and temperature induced degradation (LETID).
“We are incredibly proud that our first module from Kiwa PVEL, a leading test lab, has demonstrated outstanding reliability and performance,” said William Sheng, CEO of Thornova Solar. “This result underlines our commitment to delivering exceptional products to our customers. We will continue to subject further module types to this rigorous testing process to demonstrate that the confidence of our current customers continues to be justified and to convince other potential customers that our modules are an excellent choice for their large-scale projects in terms of reliability and durability.”
“Congratulations to Thornova Solar for receiving the Top Performer status for the 2024 Scorecard editions,” commented Tristan Erion-Lorico, VP of sales and marketing at Kiwa PVEL. “As a newcomer to our PQP program we are impressed with the strong results achieved in 5 categories, which shows the company’s commitment to provide high quality PV modules to its customers.”
“We congratulate Thornova Solar on achieving Top Performer status for the 2024 Scorecard editions,” commented Tristan Erion-Lorico, VP of Sales and Marketing at Kiwa PVEL. “As a newcomer to our PQP program, we are impressed with the strong results achieved across five categories, which demonstrates the company’s commitment to delivering high quality PV modules to its customers.”
The thermal cycle test was carried out over 600 cycles with a characterization after every 200 cycles compared to only 50 and 200 cycles for the IEC 61215-2016 test standards. The purpose of this test is to understand the effects of changing temperatures on the expansion and contraction of the materials used in PV modules and their interfaces. The materials are generally subjected to mechanical stress at different temperatures due to different coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE). In addition, the resistance heating caused by the current flow increases the local voltages at solder joints and other electrical interfaces. The Thornova Solar TS-BG72 (550) showed an average deviation of -0.37 % in the Pmax change after exposure in relation to the original measurement after immersion in light. The threshold set by Kiwa PVEL is a maximum of < -2% Pmax deviation. Therefore, the Thornova Solar TS-BG72 (550) module performs very well under these severe thermal cycling test conditions. There were no complaints during the visual inspection after the test, and the module continued to meet the requirements of ICE 61215-1:2021 with regard to resistance to wet leaks and also passed the electrical circuit tests.
With regard to the humidity-heat test at 85°C and 85% relative humidity (RH), which evaluates the susceptibility to moisture ingress, delamination and corrosion of a PV module and its materials, Kiwa PVEL allows a maximum deviation of
As PV modules mounted outdoors are subject to mechanical stress due to wind and snow loads, the cyclical deflection can lead to the formation and propagation of cracks in the cells and solder joints. Therefore, the mechanical stress sequence (MSS) evaluates the loss of performance that such a mechanical event can cause over time. The tests begin with a static mechanical load, followed by a dynamic mechanical load to which the module is subjected for 50 thermal cycles, and end with 10 humidity freezing cycles. Here too, the threshold value for passing the Kiva PVEL requirements is less than -2 % Pmax deviation compared to the preload results of the first measurement after the light soaking. The Thornova Solar modules tested passed with a very good result of -0.63% on average.
The Thornova solar module showed an extremely low deviation of just 0.24% on average in the LETID stress tests, which take place at 75 °C and last 486 hours for Kiwa PVEL, but only 162 hours for module certification in accordance with IEC 61215-2016. LETID is a phenomenon that is closely related to PERC cells and occurs when the cells reach temperatures above 40 °C during operation. These operating temperatures occur in hot environments and in temperate regions during periods of high irradiance on hot days.
To summarize, the bifacial Thornova Solar TS-BG72 (550) PERC module, which corresponds to the Zosma M Pro 550 module from Sunova Solar, clearly demonstrates the high quality of the materials used and the manufacturing process. The Top Performer award confirms the trust that customers have had and continue to have in Sunova/Thornova Solar products. Our N-type TOPCon modules are currently being tested at Kiwa PVEL and we look forward to receiving good results here too.
For more information or the full report, please contact your nearest sales office, our technical support team or Kiwa PVEL.
For further information please contact
Sunova/Thornova Solar
Andrea Bodenhagen
Director of Global Branding
Andrea.bodenhagen@sunova-solar.com
Andrea.bodenhagen@thornovasolar.com
+49-1590-1621062
www.sunovathornova.com